Busting Airspace

[NovemberEcho]

Not stationed there but it is a bit of a home away from home. I’ll be around for the next several weeks. It’s just a reality at bases that the person who you’re talking to most of the time isn’t qualified to be doing so, but they’re working on it. You usually aren’t even done thinking “well that doesn’t make sense” before someone with a much more authoritative voice is overriding on the frequency.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When you're talking to military ATC there's probably at least a 60% chance you're talking to a trainee. Within weeks of getting fully checked out you're training someone else. It was the worst part about military ATC for me. I hate training. And then once you finally really start to get the hang of it and know the nuances of your operation, you either get PCS'd somewhere else to start all over or you get promoted to the desk and barely work traffic anymore.

 

[Lawman]

When you're talking to military ATC there's probably at least a 60% chance you're talking to a trainee. Within weeks of getting fully checked out you're training someone else. It was the worst part about military ATC for me. I hate training. And then once you finally really start to get the hang of it and know the nuances of your operation, you either get PCS'd somewhere else to start all over or you get promoted to the desk and barely work traffic anymore.

At every weekly pilots briefing - “Hey guys, we need to terminate training flights by doing PAR and no Gyro PARs into the field. This will help ATC stay current.”

The only reason you need a brigade’s worth of training flights terminating with PARs is to support a revolving door or certifications.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NovemberEcho]

At every weekly pilots briefing - “Hey guys, we need to terminate training flights by doing PAR and no Gyro PARs into the field. This will help ATC stay current.”

The only reason you need a brigade’s worth of training flights terminating with PARs is to support a revolving door or certifications.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Meanwhile in the RAPCON...
"Please no PAR, please no PAR....goddammit you bastard!"

 

[fholbert]

My last 45 days in the AF there were no trainees at PAR and that's where I choose to work every day.

As soon as the crew brief ended; "I'll take PAR!"

I kind of enjoyed it, one plane at a time, quiet and dark at that end of the console.

 

[Lawman]

My last 45 days in the AF there were no trainees at PAR and that's where I choose to work every day.

As soon as the crew brief ended; "I'll take PAR!"

I kind of enjoyed it, one plane at a time, quiet and dark at that end of the console.

It’s all fun until you have 2 aircraft of same type with the same last 3 and both somehow got handed off to the final controller.

First aircraft is on course and slightly above glide path correcting slowly... the other is about to land somewhere on Anderson Island/Puget Sound. We were in crap weather in the dark as well so the only reason to suspect something was the moving map display.

 

[MikeD]

At every weekly pilots briefing - “Hey guys, we need to terminate training flights by doing PAR and no Gyro PARs into the field. This will help ATC stay current.”

The only reason you need a brigade’s worth of training flights terminating with PARs is to support a revolving door or certifications.

Isn't your bird only capable of ASR/PAR and NDBs? Or has that been upgraded? That's what I seem to remember from my A-model coworkers.

 

[NovemberEcho]

It’s all fun until you have 2 aircraft of same type with the same last 3 and both somehow got handed off to the final controller.

First aircraft is on course and slightly above glide path correcting slowly... the other is about to land somewhere on Anderson Island/Puget Sound. We were in crap weather in the dark as well so the only reason to suspect something was the moving map display.

Or when you're doing PAR's on stealth aircraft and he never lowered his gear but you saw a target where you expected him to be so you tag it up and start giving him instructions wondering why he's not listening only to discover you tagged up a VFR Cessna you didn't know about.

 

[fholbert]

It’s all fun until you have 2 aircraft of same type with the same last 3 and both somehow got handed off to the final controller.

First aircraft is on course and slightly above glide path correcting slowly... the other is about to land somewhere on Anderson Island/Puget Sound. We were in crap weather in the dark as well so the only reason to suspect something was the moving map display.

I was in the AF. We didn't do such things.

 

[Lawman]

Isn't your bird only capable of ASR/PAR and NDBs? Or has that been upgraded? That's what I seem to remember from my A-model coworkers.

E model adds VOR/ILS. We can use RNAV for enroute only. D’s are strictly ADF or PAR/ASR (as was Kiowa).

Though non of them can technically use the NDB right now because of an AWR that restricts it from being a primary NAV source. Makes it a blast to plan around when the IAF is an ADF and you can’t legally file it. End up having to file some very out of the way feeder routes for a 110kt detour.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk